Cemetery History

Overview

In 1853, the electors of the Village of Glens Falls authorized the trustees to purchase a suitable plot for a cemetery, and $1,500 was allowed for the land, grading, and fencing. As a result, about 13 acres was purchased from Andrew Porteus of Queensbury for $1,000 and work began. The first burial in the new cemetery took place in 1855.

There are many burials marked with dates prior to 1855. These are a result of graves moved here, most of which came from the disposition of the old West Street Cemetery in the early 1870's. The Glens Falls Cemetery has been added to seven times, the last addition in 1973, and is now around 32 acres. There are over 12,000 burials here, with the older sections in Victorian style with fancy funerary art.

Notable BurialsSome notable burials here are many Civil War veterans, including Medal of Honor winners Franklin Johndro and George Merrill. The last Pony Express rider, "Broncho" Charlie Miller, and the Russell Little Family, founder of the Glens Falls Insurance Co. Other notable people here are the Finch and Pruyn families of the paper mill fame and many lumber barons such as Jones Ordway and Augustus Sherman. Others include Harry Elkes, world champion bicycle racer around 1900, Charlotte and Louis Hyde of the Hyde Collection Art Museum, and the DeLong family whose home is now the Chapman Museum. There are biographies several other prominent families here as well, many of them with streets named after them. Read these biographies of prominent Glens Falls residents buried at Glens Falls Cemetery.

In 2004, the Glens Falls Cemetery was placed on both the New York State and National Register of Historic Places.

Plot InformationToday the Cemetery is still active selling plots and doing internments. For information on plot locations (PDF) and prices, please contact the cemetery office by calling (518) 761-3836. It is now the only cemetery in Glens Falls.